a personal account

Category Archives: scything

I am beginning to recruit for next year’s cohort of my project, ‘Tomorrow’s Natural Leaders’. We really struggled to recruit last year in Ryedale (where there are 6 vacancies) so I wondered if you could please pass this opportunity on to any conservation volunteers, friends or relatives to help raise awareness of this amazing opportunity for young people (age 16 – 24) looking to start a career in the conservation / countryside management sector.

Placements will run from September 2017 – August 2018 and the deadline for applications is 30th June. Detailed information about the vocational placements including how to apply can be found on our website here:

Thank you all for coming out and giving an extra day on the Meadow. This large plot of bramble was just a small plot a few years ago but has gradually expanded taking out two paths. We will rake this off and ready it to be reintegrated into the flower meadow as a wet flush

I Chair a local community Conservation group .as a group we hold a long term lease on a mixed woodland/grass 17 acre property near Scarborough. The land we lease is in the middle of a 220 ha woodland and has a permissive bridleway right through the centre of it. The land is visited daily by walkers ,bird watchers & horse riders. The grass has for the last few years been cut and the Hay burnt . We have been advised that since we have no use for the hay we should abandon our summer hay cutting and Top the grass three times a year instead. The reason been that as the grass has public access lots of dog shit. http://www.nfus.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Campaigns/Disease%20in%20Livestock.pdf

Both the mole hills and the dog shit have in them the capacity to harm/kill any animals that might eat the hay and as a result makes the hay unsellable, in fact even giving it away could cause us problems.

Do we TOP and remove any possibility of been taken to court, but change the nature of the sward or do we carry on with the hay cutting ? The first is cheaper, quicker and easily done. The second has the risk of animal deaths associated with it , the possibility of legal action against me but the sward carry s on developing as a flower meadow?

A small number of places are available on our Raincliffe meadow Scything workshop learn from Jonathan Dent Nature Reserve Manager @ St. Nicks Nature Reserve in Yorkhttp://www.stnicks.org.uk/

.Learn from an expert how to use this ancient tool (pre Roman) You dont need to be Atlas for this skill just be willing to join in. We will be cutting grass, managing vergers, gardening trees and tool management
we will as well as taking the workshop will be giving a short talk on Meadow/ Woodland management. Come and learn a new skill or refresh an old one Be GREEN and be part of a resurgence in pre industrial revolution Country Skills